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Window Shopper: Part 2
Window Shopper: Part 2 is the seventeenth episode of Tech 10: Star Spirit, and the fifth episode of the second season. Episode to Aeron and Clockwork standing in front of a seemingly abandoned warehouse near a river. A windowless black van is parked out front, with the owners nowhere in sight. Aeron: “See, what’d I tell ya! My plan worked like a charm!” Clockwork: “It took us seven hours to get here.” Aeron: “Hey, I never said it would be fast.” Clockwork: “Yes, but was stealing their entire criminal records really necessary?” Aeron: “No, but trust me, it’s gonna be worth it.” Clockwork: (Rolls eyes) “Whatever you say.” Aeron: “If I needed your sass, I woulda asked for it. Now shoo.” Clockwork dissipated, leaving Aeron alone in front of the warehouse. After cracking his knuckles, he grinned maniacally and began approaching the warehouse. Aeron: (Enthusiastically) “This is gonna be good.” ---- to Herc shielding himself and Nova from a flurry of attacks coming from several directions as Cancer’s crab golems try to smash their way through his defense. Cancer: “You can’t hold out forever, darling!~” Herc: “If I’m able to hold out long enough for you to stop talking, it’ll be pretty darn close, though!” Nova: (Clenching her fists) “Dammit! Why can’t I summon anything?! I can’t even transform!” Herc: (Sighs) “Alright, let’s see if I can buy us a little time.” Herc suddenly threw apart his shields, catching the crab golems off-guard and knocking them backwards, giving Nova and himself enough time to run deeper into the cavern. Cancer: “Don’t let them get away!” The crab golems chased after the two, leaving cracks along the cavern floor with each massive step. As they were running, Nova looked up at the ceiling and caught sight of a massive indentation along the roof of the cavern. Nova: (Points to the indentation) “What the hell could’ve made that?!” Herc: (Glances at the ceiling) “No idea, but it really only matters if it’s still here. Keep running!” As they were running, Herc noticed an odd crack in the cavern wall to their left. He grabbed Nova and made a mad dash towards the crack, squeezing through it and into some sort of smaller cave chamber on the other side. The crabs chasing them slammed on the rock separating them, but were unable to break through. Herc and Nova took a moment to catch their breath, then sat down on some nearby rocks. After a few moments, Nova broke the silence. Nova: “So...earlier you said you knew why Swarm 2 isn’t working?” Herc sighed and remained silent for a few moments. Herc: “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do. Look, when this happened to your father, it was because he had essentially...given up. I don’t understand the exact mechanics of it, but I know whatever powers those nanomachines is tied to their user’s willpower somehow.” Nova: (Nervously) “But...why would I be having that problem? I haven’t given up on anything!” Herc: “Nova...we need to talk.” ---- to Mr. Farnsworth putting the aforementioned batch of fudge in the refrigerator to set. He begins to walk over to the sink, but is interrupted by Theo suddenly bursting into the cooking area. Farnsworth: “What the- Who are you?!” Theo: “I could ask you the same question!” Farnsworth: “You can’t be back here!” Theo: “Why not? Afraid I might find this?” (Holds up ID Mask) Farnsworth: (Flinches in shock) “How did you-” Farnsworth’s eyes drifted to Theo’s left arm, spotting the StarTrix. Farnsworth: (Panicked) “Dammit! How did they find me?!” Theo: “What?” Farnsworth kicked Theo in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards and causing him to drop the ID Mask, which landed on the floor with a metallic clatter. Farnsworth: “I’m not going back!” Farnsworth reached for his face and tore off an ID Mask, causing the illusion of his human body to fade. In its place stood a tall, blue alien wearing what appeared to be some sort of dress suit. It had three white eyes, with red markings covering parts of its body and several white cubes running up its arms. Farnsworth: (Assuming a defensive stance) “I’ve never been much of a fighter, but I won’t hesitate to take you down if need be!” Theo: “I don’t think so!” Theo pulled up the StarTrix and transformed into a dark blue humanoid alien with gold markings. Two wings with heart-shaped marks on them jutted from his back, and his torso was covered in a repeating pattern of strange symbols. Theo/???: “Over Now!” Farnsworth: “What the heck?!” Now: “Not expecting that, were you?” Farnsworth recovered from his shock and lunged at Over Now with a right hook, making direct contact with his face. Nothing happened. Farnsworth: “Wh-what?!” Now: “Cause: Attack. Effect: Injury. Effect nullified.” Farnsworth: “...Oh, crap.” Now: “Indeed. My turn!” Over Now lunged at Farnsworth, aiming directly for his face. Farnsworth managed to block it with his right hand and jumped backwards out of Theo’s range. Now: “Look, this doesn’t have to escalate any further. Just give up before somebody gets hurt. And by somebody I mean you.” Farnsworth: “I don’t think so. You’re welcome to try hitting me with your right fist again if you’d like, but I think you may find it rather difficult.” Now: “What are you-” Over Now looked at his right hand and froze mid-sentence. What was previously his hand had melted into a multi-colored goop dripping onto the floor. Now: “What the hell?!” Farnsworth: “Your hand’s going to stay melted as long as I want it to be. Give up and go home, kid.” Now: “Like hell I will!” Over Now slammed down on the StarTrix symbol, transforming into the salamander-like alien from earlier. Now/???: “Silent Lucidity!” Silent Lucidity suddenly seemed to vanish, using camouflage to blend in with his surroundings. He began crawling around the room, moving onto the walls and up onto the ceiling. Lucidity: “Can’t hit what you can’t see!” Farnsworth: “You’re right about that...” Farnsworth suddenly grabbed a nearby bag of flour and punched it apart, flooding the area with white dust. Once the cloud of flour had settled, Silent Lucidity’s shape was clearly highlighted by the white powder. Farnsworth: “But that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue at the moment!” lunged at Silent Lucidity with a jumping punch, knocking him off the ceiling and partially melting the area he hit. Silent Lucidity picked himself up off the floor and shook his head, then looked down at the melted spot on his chest. [Silent Lucidity: “That cannot be PC with the FDA.” Farnsworth: “It isn’t, but as someone who handles sticky materials all the time, I’ve become rather good at thorough cleanup.” Farnsworth lunged again, but Silent Lucidity easily dodged the attack using his superior agility. Lucidity: “Alright, let’s see how you handle an alien you can’t melt!” He tapped on the StarTrix symbol again, transforming into Over The Rainbow. OTR: “What now, smart guy?” Farnsworth wordlessly pointed towards Over The Rainbow’s feet. He looked down to find the water making up his body slowly merging with the flour on the floor to create a runny dough. OTR: “Well, that’s obnoxious. Split up!” Over The Rainbow split apart into his seven Droplet forms. Before any of them hit the ground, Droplet Blue sprayed the floor beneath them with water and promptly froze it, giving them a solid surface to stand on. Farnsworth: “This is getting a bit ridiculous.” Orange: “The only ‘ridiculous’ thing here is your face!” Indigo: (Yawns) “Look, can we just get on with this? I have a nap with my name on it waiting for me at home.” Red: “Come on people, focus! Okay, first thing’s first. Blue, use your powers to-” Droplet Red turned towards Droplet Blue while talking, only to find him staring at the kitchen with a look of awe frozen on his face, completely zoned out of the current situation. There was an awkward moment of silence. Farnsworth: “Uh...This may sound odd, considering that you’re made out of water and all, but...has he had an aneurysm?” Yellow: “Oh please, hun. Blue is always like this around food.” Farnsworth: “Are you even able to eat food?” Violet: “Hell if I know, but it sure is fun to hoard!” Red: “And we are getting all of nowhere. Come on!” Orange: “Way ahead of you, moron.” Droplet Red turned to see Droplet Orange standing on top of a nearby counter, having put something into a microwave. Red: “What are you doing?” Orange: “Microwaving aluminum foil.” Red: “...Say what now?” The foil being heated up in the microwave suddenly caught fire, filling the sealed chamber with heat. Orange: “Hey Candy Man, you know what happens when air full of powder is exposed to an open flame?” Farnsworth’s eyes widened. Farnsworth: “DON’T-!” Farnsworth was interrupted by Droplet Orange opening the microwave door. The resulting explosion could be heard from several blocks away. ---- back to the cavern where Herc and Nova are sitting. Herc: “...You heard, didn’t you?” Nova didn’t give a response, but the tone of the situation said more than enough. Herc: (Sighs) “Look, I know it must hurt that he didn’t tell you, but his heart is in the right place.” Nova: (Beginning to tear up) “I don’t care about that! I just...I know my dad is going to die soon, and there’s nothing I can do about it! Do you have any idea how that feels?!” Herc: “Grikonian culture isn’t really built on familial bonds, so no, I don’t. But...as much as I hate to admit it sometimes, Napoleon’s a good friend, and I don’t like this situation any more than you do.” Nova: “I...I don’t know what to do.” Herc: “Well, getting out of here alive for one thing is a good place to start. I’m not entirely sure what Napoleon’s opinion on his kid dying before he does would be, but it probably wouldn’t be very favorable.” Nova: (Wiping her eyes) “...Yeah, I...I guess you’re right. But...none of my constructs are really suited for fighting stone golems, and I don’t know how useful a Reduvidai or a Pharatep would be against them.” Herc: “Are you sure you don’t have any other transformations?” Nova: “I don’t. I need to study an alien before being able to turn into it.” Herc: “Huh. Napoleon never really needed to do that with Swarm 1.” Nova: “What?” Herc: “Yeah, he didn’t even know he could transform at first, and he didn’t choose any of the aliens he ended up transforming into. I’m not really sure what the deal was, but it always seemed like Swarm 1 just...knew what he needed. Maybe Swarm 2 can do that too.” Nova: “You think so?” Herc: (Shrugs) “There’s only one way to find out.” Nova sighed and stood up, mentally preparing herself to transform. Nova: “Alright, then. Here goes nothing.” ---- to the inside of the warehouse from before. Two men dressed completely in black are arguing with each other as two scared kids are tied up in the corner. 1: “There’s only so much money we can get out of these brats, you know! At some point, the police are gonna consider a raid as the better option!” 2: “Assuming the police find out about this place, which, if you’ve done your job correctly, they won’t!” The first kidnapper opened his mouth to continue the argument, but was interrupted by a loud clattering noise suddenly coming from the upper level of the warehouse. The two instantly drew their guns. 2: “Alright meat head, if anyone else knows where we are already, I’m going to hold you personally responsible!” 1: “Oh, shut up! You keep an eye on those kids, I’m gonna go investigate!” The first kidnapper left the area and walked to the other side of the warehouse, climbing up the stairs that access the second level. The second floor was completely dark, prompting him to flip a nearby light switch. Nothing happened. 1: “I swear to god, if the power company is shutting this place off already...” Suddenly, a small light in the center of the second floor began flickering dimly, illuminating a small folder of some kind lying on the floor. The kidnapper warily made his way over to the folder and picked it up, carefully filing through it. 1: (Eyes widen) “No way...this is my record! How the hell-” He cut himself off upon reaching the last page, where his mugshot was crossed out with a red ‘X’. Before he could react to this, he suddenly became aware of a strange presence behind him. Aeron: (Quietly) “Peekaboo.” Without so much as a second to respond, the kidnapper suddenly collapsed, dead where he stood. ---- back to the inside of Farnsworth’s candy shop, where everything has been wrecked by the explosion. Over The Rainbow’s body, having been splashed all over the room, slowly coalesces back together into one form. OTR: “So, ready to give up now?” Farnsworth groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position, hanging his head in defeat. Farnsworth: “...You beat me and wrecked my shop. I guess there’s not much else to do.” OTR: “Alright, first off, you’re going to tell me what you did with those kids!” Farnsworth: (Looks up in confusion) “With what?” OTR: “Don’t play dumb! Those missing kids that are on the poster! What else could I possibly be talking about?!” Farnsworth: “I don’t have anything to do with that! Aren’t you here to take me in for being here illegally?” OTR: “...What?” Farnsworth: “Hold on, you are a Plumber, aren’t you?” OTR: “...No.” Farnworth: “Then...why are you here?” OTR: (Sheepishly) “Well, I mean, I saw the Missing poster, and I saw you carrying out a lumpy bag as suspiciously as possible, and I guess I just kinda...jumped to conclusions a bit.” Farnsworth: “Those were old candy apples. I just have to make sure there aren’t any kids around when I’m tossing them, or they’re liable to dig them out of the dumpster and get sick.” OTR: “Oh.” There were a few moments of awkward silence. OTR: “Well, uh, what about that weird-looking vat of brown stuff?” (Gestures to the vat in the center of the room) Farnsworth: “That’s melted down cane sugar. I use it a lot, so it’s handy to keep it easily accessible like that." OTR: “...Oh.” Farnsworth: “So...you’re not here to arrest me?” OTR: “Not really, no.” Farnsworth: “Oh.” There was another awkward pause. Farnsworth: “Well, uh...it sounds like we both made some bad decisions today.” OTR: “Yeah, no kidding. Sorry about wrecking the place. Droplet Orange is very...volatile. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Over The Rainbow twisted the StarTrix dial and tapped down on it, transforming into Season. Season: “I know exactly how to fix all this!” ---- to Reaper, Pyros, and F3 fighting Taurus and Virgo. They’re barely able to fend off the two’s attacks, with Pyros attempting to maintain a wall of fire between the groups. F3: (Dodges Virgo’s mercury) “Uh, I hate to say it, but I don’t think think we can hold out much longer against these guys!” Reaper: “We just need to hold out until Herculian and Nova return!” Pyros: “''If'' they return! They mighta gotten taken out by some grunts on the way!” Reaper: “I trust them to make it back to us. They’re more powerful than I think you believe.” Pyros was about to respond, but was interrupted by one of Taurus’s horns launching through the air straight towards his head. Without any time to dodge or defend, all he could do was watch as the projectile came within centimeters of his forehead... And promptly rebounded towards Taurus as if bouncing off of an invisible barrier. Pyros: “...The hell?” Pyros suddenly felt some sort of presence behind him. He turned around to find a strange ethereal figure floating directly behind him. It appeared to have a silver aura, and its arms were splayed out in front of it in a way that put them near the sides of his head. Pyros: “Uh...alright, either I’m crazy, or I’ve got some sort of ghost on my back.” F3: “Really? I don’t see anythi-” F3 was interrupted by an ethereal figure identical to Pyros’ suddenly coming into existence right in front of him. F3: “...Either the crazy spreads, or something weird is going on.” Reaper: “I seem to have a ghostly figure, so to speak, nearby me as well.” F3: “Uh, guys? Is it just me, or are we not getting attacked anymore?” Reaper: “We’re still being attacked, but the attacks don’t seem to be hitting us.” True to Reaper’s word, the attacks the Zodiac Organization members had been throwing at them while they were talking had simply been rebounding away as soon as they got within a few inches of hitting them. Taurus and Virgo stopped attacking, seeing that they were getting nowhere. Taurus: “Am I crazy, or does there seem to be a bit of a silver light around each of these three?” Virgo: “No, I see it too. Any idea what’s going on?” Taurus: “Afraid not.” The sound of two sets of footsteps running up from behind them prompted Taurus and Virgo to turn around, finding Cancer and Pisces running up to them as swiftly as possible, Pisces having transformed her fins back into arms. Upon reaching the two, Cancer and Pisces stopped for a moment to catch their breath. Taurus: “What’s going on? Don’t tell me you two were outfought by those squad members that went down to the mine.” Pisces: “Of course not! We simply aren’t able to hit them!” Cancer: “Unfortunately, they’re more than capable of hitting us!” Virgo: “We’re having the same problem. What do you think’s causing this?” Cancer: “Well, darling, if I had to take a wild guess, I’d have to say that it’s probably THAT!” Cancer snappily pointed upwards behind him, which was swiftly followed by a flying out of the mine. It had the general shape of a human wearing silver armor of some sort. Silver flames burned around its wrists and ankles, and it had six large wings flowing from its back. Two large, silver rings orbited around its body, each one having six eyes dotted around them. Four of the eyes were glowing a brilliant white. Pyros: (Eyes widening) “...Holy shit.” F3: “With emphasis on 'Holy'!” Taurus: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Virgo: “What is that thing?” The angelic figure hovered into the air above the mine, which was shortly followed by Herc climbing over the mine’s ridge onto solid ground, where it could be seen that he had a silver light around him as well. Herc: (Grinning widely) “So, how many of you have heard of the Praesignis?” Reaper: “I’ve heard myths about them, but I didn’t think they actually existed.” Herc: “Well, neither did I until about five minutes ago!” F3: “Uh, what’s a Praesignis?” Reaper: “The name means “protecting fire”. They’re an ancient species rumored to have lived millennia ago, before they mysteriously disappeared.” F3: “Huh. Neat. What can they do?” Reaper: “Well, presumably something fire-related, but nobody actually knows.” F3: “Oh.” Taurus: (Preparing another attack) “Well, no matter what it is, we still can’t let it interfere with our mission.” Virgo: “Uh, Taurus, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Taurus: “And that’s why you have no initiative.” Taurus suddenly fired a barrage of horns at the Praesignis, who simply watched as the projectiles approached her. As soon as they were about to strike, she raised her right hand and formed a massive pillar of silver fire that shot through the horns, incinerating them, and landed a direct hit on Taurus, who was consumed by the flames. After a few seconds of this, the Praesignis stopped the flow of fire. Taurus had collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, but seemingly unharmed. Pisces: “...Oh dear.” Cancer: “Well, uh, alright darlings, it’s been fun, but we, uh,” (Frantically pulls out a communicator and frantically starts yelling into it) “OPHIUCHUS GET US OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!” Reaper lunged to try and grab them, but the members of the Zodiac Organization teleported away before he could touch them. The Praesignis slowly floated down to the group, its wings remaining unnaturally still the whole time. Once it reached the ground, it became consumed by a white light and shrunk until it reached a human size and shape. As this was happening, the ethereal figures protecting the Alpha Team faded. The white light dispersed to reveal Nova, who put her hands on her knees and breathed a sigh of relief. Nova: “Okay, real talk? I had no idea what the hell I was doing out there.” Pyros: “Savin' our asses is what you were doin’! That was awesome!” Nova: (Grins slightly) “Thanks.” Herc walked over to her and patted he on the back. Herc: “Good job out there. Your father would be proud. Speaking of which...” Nova glanced at Herc, then sighed and looked back down at the ground. Nova: “I’ll have to talk with him when I get home.” Herc nodded. Herc: “Alright people, let’s head back. We weren’t able to apprehend anyone, but we at least have enough evidence to shut this place down for good.” (Holds up Displotram crystal) Pyros: “Fine by me.” The team walked off into the night, with F3 secretly trying to remember where on Earth he parked the van. ---- back to the second level of the warehouse, where the remaining kidnapper is climbing the stairs up there. 2: “What the hell is taking you so lo-” He froze mid-sentence, seeing his partner’s dead body splayed across the ground. He pulled up his gun, aiming it in front of him and wildly looking around for whoever or whatever had killed the other kidnapper. After a few moments, a rock suddenly flew past his head, prompting him to whip around and fire off a few rounds. He was suddenly moved to the warehouse’s roof, sliding down the slick metal roofing before he was able to process what was going on. He managed to grab onto the edge of the roofing before falling, losing his gun in the process. After a few moments, Aeron walked up to him, carefully keeping his balance on the roof. 2: “Wh-what the hell are you?!” Aeron: (Smirks) “Just a guy with a sweet watch and a couple knives. Speaking of which...” A knife suddenly appeared, shoved through the kidnapper’s head, killing him instantly. His body fell to the ground below, prompting Aeron to blink down there and retrieve his knife, with Clockwork next to him. Clockwork: "Last time summoning me, hm?" Aeron: “Close enough. Either way, that was cathartic as hell! I haven’t gotten a “what are you?” comment in forever!” Clockwork: “You’re very easily amused.” Aeron: “And that’s why I’m happier than you are.” Clockwork began to respond, but was interrupted by what appeared to be a yo-yo exploding through his head, causing him to dissipate. Aeron whipped around to find a lanky, blue humanoid alien with long, hooked fingers and an odd cap with the StarTrix symbol on it. It was whirling around several yo-yos in complicated patterns, and appeared to have the words inscribed on its chest. YYAGG: “For a serial killer, you’re very unaware of your surroundings.” Aeron: “Seriously?! Can’t I just get, like, a day or two in a timeline without you popping up to ruin everything?!” YYAGG: “If you could, I wouldn’t be doing my job correctly.” Aeron: “Tch, you’re already doing it wrong. I managed to kill two people before you got here.” YYAGG: (Narrows eyes) “You’re a real bastard, you know that?” Aeron: “Know it and take pride in it. At any rate, I should probably get go-” Aeron was interrupted by Yo-Yo A Go-Go throwing a yo-yo at his head, knocking him to the ground. YYAGG: “Not this time, you don’t!” Aeron: (Gets up and laughs) “Seriously? That stung like hell, but do you really plan on stopping me with a yo-yo alien wearing a stupid baseball cap?” The atmosphere around Yo-Yo A Go-Go suddenly became incredibly tense. His eyes narrowed, and he slowly began approaching Aeron, suddenly becoming rather intimidating for something so unimpressively lanky. YYAGG: (Growling) “What the hell did you just say?” Aeron: “Uh...I said your cap is stupid.” Yo-Yo A Go-Go suddenly sprung into action at unnatural speeds, creating several more yo-yos from the ports in his arms and hooking them onto his fingers before tossing them at Aeron. YYAGG: “THAT WAS A MISTAKE.” Aeron barely had time to process what was going to happen before he was assaulted by an endless volley of yo-yo strikes, impacting his body multiple times at high speeds. Phantom Lord summoned himself from the InverTrix to attempt to retrieve Aeron, but was interrupted by being smashed through the head before he could turn intangible, causing him to disperse. YYAGG: “You’re not getting away! Not now, and not ever again!” The StarTrix Requiem symbol began flashing red, signaling that it was overheating. Aeron: “Hah! You’re about to detransform! What now, smart guy?!” YYAGG: “Oh yeah, I forgot you didn’t know about this yet. StarTrix, activate STAR mode.” The StarTrix symbol changed to a yellow color, sending out a golden wave across Yo-Yo A Go-Go’s body and changing it to a golden-yellow color scheme. The energy swirling in his arm ports intensified, becoming almost difficult to look at. YYAGG: “ !” Aeron: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Yo-Yo A Go-Go STAR resumed his barrage of attacks, hitting Aeron with so much force that he went flying backwards through the metal wall of the warehouse, sending him skidding to a halt on the ground. Aeron: “CLOCKWORK!” Yo-Yo A Go-Go STAR heard Aeron and ran towards him, but was unable to reach him before Clockwork appeared, whisking him away to another timeline. STAR: “DAMMIT!” He sighed in frustration and tapped the StarTrix symbol, detransforming. After a few moments, he looked over his surroundings and spotted the two kidnapped children sitting in the corner of the warehouse, looking on at the bizarre scene in fright. Theo: “...I guess I should probably worry about getting you two home.” ---- to the Eldridge household at nighttime. Napoleon is reading the news on a tablet and drinking a cup of tea. After a few moments, the door opens and Nova walks in. Nova: “Hey, Dad! I’m home!” Napoleon: “Hi! I’m in the kitchen!” Nova walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, across from Napoleon. After a few moments, Napoleon sighed and put down his tablet. Napoleon: “Nova, I’m not sure how to put this, but...there’s something you need to know.” Nova: “I already know. I...overheard you and Herc talking about it earlier.” Napoleon: “...Oh.” There were a few moments of solemn silence. Nova: “So...what do we do now?” Napoleon: “...To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve never been good with this kind of thing.” Nova: “Me either. Maybe we should just...talk.” Napoleon: (Grins weakly) “Yeah. That’s probably for the best.” ---- to the Zodiac Organization’s headquarters. Orion is being debriefed on the incident at the mine by Virgo, Cancer, and Pisces. Taurus’s unconscious body is laid out on a nearby couch. Orion: “Let me see if I have this right; you four were defeated by a member of a species that may or may not have ever existed.” Cancer: “Well, it’s become rather clear that it does exist now, sir.” Orion: (Sighs) “Sometimes, it feels as if the universe is working against me.” Virgo: “I’m not sure what you were expecting. You’re bound to encounter resistance when going against the rest of the world.” Orion was about to respond, but was interrupted by Taurus suddenly waking up. He slowly got to his feet and shook his head, trying to get back to his senses. Orion: “Welcome back to the world of the living, Taurus. You’re remarkably well-intact for having been consumed in a pillar of flames.” Taurus didn’t respond for a moment, simply looking around at his surroundings. Despite having been here dozens of times, the area felt wrong somehow. Dark in a way he couldn’t describe. Virgo: “Taurus? Are you alright?” Taurus: “...What am I doing here?” Pisces: “You got knocked out, so we had Ophiuchus-” Taurus: “No, I mean...here, in the organization.” Orion: “Excuse me?” Taurus: “I’m not sure how to describe it, but something feels...wrong about this. I joined to reform a broken system, but...it doesn’t feel right anymore.” Virgo: “What are you talking about?” Taurus: “I’m sorry, but...I have to go.” Taurus began walking towards the exit. Virgo: “Are you going to come back?” Taurus paused at the door to consider the question. Taurus: “...I don’t think so.” With that, Taurus left, leaving the rest of the group standing there in awkward silence. After a few moments, Orion sighed and turned away. Cancer: "What in the name of Giorgio Armani was that?!" Orion: “First Scorpio, and now this. I’m beginning to think I chose the wrong people.” Cancer: “Oh please, darling. So you’ve had a couple of walk-outs; what’s the big deal?” Orion: “Honestly, if it were just Taurus, or Taurus and someone else, I wouldn’t be worried. But with Scorpio gone...” Pisces: “Scorpio? What’s so special about that mud-for-brains?” Orion: “Objectively speaking, not much, I must admit. However, I do feel somewhat responsible for the circumstances he joined the Zodiac Organization to escape.” Virgo: “What do you mean?” Orion paused for a moment. For the first time since they had known him, the 8-foot giant of a man’s presence felt more desperate than intimidating. Orion: “...I suppose someone would have to know eventually. I just didn’t think he would leave so soon.” Cancer: “If you’ve got something to tell us, just say it, darling!” Orion: (Sighs) “You all know that Scorpio was raised in an orphanage, and that his parents are presumed dead by all records, correct?” Pisces: “Yes...” Orion turned back to face the three. Unexpectedly, he reached for his mask, and for the first time in years, revealed his face. Virgo, Pisces, and Cancer were taken aback by what they saw. Virgo: “Oh my god...you’re...” Orion nodded, then swiftly returned the mask to his face. Orion: “Scorpio’s father.” ---- to Aeron and Clockwork drifting in non-temporal space. Clockwork is healing Aeron’s multiple injuries by rewinding them with his abilities. Aeron: “You know what really pisses me off, Clockwork?” Clockwork: “I’d imagine a lot of things do.” Aeron: “Well, yeah, but specifically.” Clockwork: “I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s constantly getting beaten by Theodore.” Aeron: “No shit! I need some way to fight him one-on-one, even if he manages to stop my aliens from appearing.” Clockwork: “...I think I know a timeline that could help you with that.” Aeron: “Really? Then what the hell are we still doing here?!” Clockwork: “Making sure you don’t die the moment we enter regular time due to internal bleeding.” Aeron: “Ugh, fine. At least I got to kill a couple people in this last timeline.” Clockwork: “Well, yes, but the people you killed were escaped prisoners previously convicted for murder and kidnapping. When you think about it, the only thing you really accomplished was saving a couple of kids.” Aeron’s eye began twitching. Clockwork: “Don’t worry about it too much, though. It’s the thought that counts.” Aeron: “...Screw everything.” ---- to the inside of a dark void. Endless darkness seems to stretch on for eternity, pierced only by the presence of a grey area in what could presumably be called the "center" of this void. Inside this grey area was an odd man in a striped orange suit wearing a matching top hat and twirling a cane with a rather large crystal ball attached to the end of it. He stops twirling the cane for a moment to look inside the crystal ball. ???: "Looks like things are getting interesting. Not a big fan of whoever this other crystal ball-using reality warper is, though. They're stealing my gimmick." The man cracked his neck and waved his cane through the air, summoning a portal to an unknown destination. ???: (Fixes his bowtie) "Well, whatever. I've procrastinated long enough. Time to hit the stage again!" The man stepped through the portal, leaving the void dimension alone in darkness. Major Events *Over Now, Yo-Yo A Go-Go!, and Yo-Yo A Go-Go! STAR make their debuts. *Silver Mt. Zion makes her debut (albeit unnamed). *Taurus leaves the Zodiac organization *Orion is revealed to be Scorpio's father. Characters Protagonists *Theodore Logical *Nova Eldridge *Herc *Pyros *F3 *Reaper Antagonists *Aeron *Taurus *Virgo *Pisces *Cancer *Kidnapper 1 *Kidnapper 2 Neutral *Mr. Farnsworth Aliens Used By Theo *Silent Lucidity *Over The Rainbow *Season *Yo-Yo A Go-Go! By Aeron *Clockwork (x2) *Phantom Lord By Nova *Silver Mt. Zion (Debut) Trivia *Theo is confirmed to have scanned Mr. Farnsworth's DNA off-screen, giving him the DNA sample for Candyman. Category:Earth-83